Gary Lange, Ph.D. has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Rancho Mirage, CA since 1990 where he has treated thousands of gamblers, alcoholics, addicts and their families. He has been a certified Gambling Counselor since 1995 and is Chair of the Training Committee for the California Council on Problem Gambling. Dr. Lange holds International and California Certifications as a Gambling Counselor and serves on the International Gambling Counselor Certification Board and is an Approved Clinical Consultant (BACC).

He has been a Certified Addictions Specialist for 30 years, has worked at the Betty Ford Center and has published numerous articles on treating gamblers and their families. Dr. Lange is a professor with California State University, and is an international public speaker on gambling addiction-related topics. Additionally, he is a provider and supervisor for California Gambling Education and Treatment Services program.

Linda Graves is currently the Executive Director for Association for State Problem Gambling Administrators, APGSA, a national organization of state employees that administer problem gambling funds within their respective states. She has worked with the California Council on Problem Gambling, where she provided technical assistance through training, consultation, and outreach to tribal casinos, card rooms, and law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Previous to her move to California in 2011, Linda was the Problem Gambling Program Manager for the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, State of Washington where she implemented prevention, treatment and certification services for the state’s publicly funded problem gambling services. Linda began her career in the problem gambling field with the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems in 1996, where she became Deputy Director of the Delaware Council. She set up the treatment program, including the training of counselors to provide treatment, implemented assessment and treatment services, and managed day to day operations under the supervision of the Executive Director.

Linda has served as a Board Member on the Association of Problem Gambling Service Administrators (2009-2011) and as Chair of the National Helpline Committee (2001-2005). She was awarded the National Council Service Award in 2003, and was voted Counselor of the Year for Delaware Association of Addiction Professionals in 2005. She was the recipient of 2017 CA Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2017 NCPG Dr. Robert Custer Lifetime Achievement Award for Direct Service.

Marc Lefkowitz is a national speaker facilitating problem gambling trainings and workshops on topics including financial recovery, treatment, Gamblers Anonymous, and responsible gaming. He has been a certified gambling counselor for over 20 years.

Marc served more than 25 consecutive years on the board of directors for the California Council on Problem Gambling, and spent over 15 years working for them as their lead trainer.

Marc worked for the UCLA Gambling Studies Program and was part of a team training therapists to treat problem gamblers and their families. He also helped in developing a state-funded gambling inpatient treatment program and intensive outpatient treatment programs. He was outreach coordinator for California’s free gambling treatment programs. He taught as an adjunct instructor in two community colleges teaching the required materials for gambling counselor certification.

Marc was Program Director for one of the few dedicated inpatient gambling treatment in Prescott, Arizona. He recently developed a residential/IOP gambling program in Washington State.

Marc has extensive knowledge in responsible gaming, creating and facilitating training programs in over 50 casinos, and has trained over 100,000 casino employees.

He has presented at numerous national and international problem and responsible gambling conferences and, in 2012, he received California’s Lifetime Achievement Award for working with problem gamblers and their families. Personally, he is a recovering gambler with over 36 years of recovery and has extensive knowledge of 12-Step Programs.

Robby Fuqua is an experienced LCSW that has served in several different roles for Morneau Shepell. As a clinical associate, Robby worked as part of the C2C team providing counseling services to compulsive gamblers. Robby also conducted assessments, referral services,and other case management functions for several different state funded problem gambling helplines. As a clinical trainer, Robby provides training programs for clinicians to treat compulsive gambling disorder in Illinois and North Carolina. Robby has also collaborated with the Mississippi Council of Problem and Compulsive Gambling and the Mississippi Gaming Commission to educate casino staff across the state of Mississippi by providing Responsible Gaming training.

Prior to Morneau Shepell, Robby interned & worked as a Crisis Clinician at South Shore Mental Health in Quincy, Massachusetts. He also interned as a clinician and case manager at Volunteers of America in Boston, Massachusetts. Robby has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of North Texas and a Master’s degree in Social Work with a Mental Health concentration from Boston College.

Robert Jacobson has been the Executive Director of the California Council on Problem Gambling since 2011, and his unique perspectives in the field are derived from both his personal and professional experiences. Robert grew up in Las Vegas, where his family worked in the gaming industry for more than 25 years and he followed suit, taking his first casino job in 1995. In 1998, he moved to California, where he continued to work in gaming until 2010.

Robert is currently the President of the board of directors for the National Council on Problem Gambling, serves on the advisory board for California Office of Problem Gambling, and served two appointed terms on the Gaming Policy Advisory Committee (GPAC) for the California Gambling Control Commission. His prior casino experience includes table games, food and beverage, marketing, and human resources.

Matt McCreary oversees the development and management of Morneau Shepell’s Responsible Gambling, Student Support and Employee Assistance Program Products. Matt is responsible for blending innovation and technology into clinical service delivery to create best in class user experiences across his portfolio. Matt has worked with CCPG for almost 10 years and provides clinical trainings and seminars nationwide on a range of behavioral health topics including Gambling Disorder, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, stress management and the ethical use of technology in clinical practice. In his former role as VP of Operations at Bensinger, DuPont & Associates, Mr. McCreary was responsible for operating a leading national multidisciplinary and multichannel clinical call center.

Suzanne Koch Eckenrode is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Orange County where she uses EMDR therapy to resolve trauma, gambling, and relational problems. She has treated hundreds of gamblers and their loved ones, given presentations and trainings, written professional papers, and supervised in the field for nearly two decades. Suzanne developed a successful gender specific track for the unique needs of the female gambler; and currently runs a group for problem gamblers challenged with maintaining abstinence. She is an Internationally and California Certified Gambling Counselor II, is on the Advisory Board for the California Council on Problem Gambling, and is an EMDR trained therapist.